Climate change is one of the most serious public health issues facing America today. As temperatures continue to rise, water will evaporate at a faster rate, ultimately causing more prolonged periods of drought and — in some areas — more extreme rainfall.
Rainfall is affected by local climate conditions and varies heavily throughout the United States. 24/7 Wall St. reviewed metropolitan areas with the highest average annual precipitation using data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s North America Land Data Assimilation System (NLDAS) for 1979 to 2011.
The Northeast and South receive, respectively, 46.0% and 40.8% more rain than the average nationwide. The Midwest receives 0.9% more, and the West receives 34.1% less.
Of the 30 cities that get the most rain, however, 10 are in Western states: six in Oregon, and four in Washington. The rest of the cities are in the South, with seven in Louisiana, five in Florida, three in Mississippi, and two in Alabama. Arkansas, and Tennessee are each home to one. Many of the cities that get the most rain are also among the U.S. cities that get the least sun and the places where weather is getting worse because of climate change.
Click here to learn more about the rainiest cities in the United States.
To determine the rainiest cities in the United States, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed the metropolitan statistical areas with the highest average annual precipitation using data from the CDC’s North America Land Data Assimilation System (NLDAS) for the years 1979 to 2011. Data was aggregated from the county level to MSAs using boundary definitions and land area measurements from the U.S. Census Bureau.
Data on average maximum temperature and average number of kilowatt-hours of sun per square meter also came from CDC NLDAS and figures are for the years 1979 to 2011. Population statistics came from the Census Bureau’s 2017 American Community Survey.
30. Sebastian-Vero Beach, FL
> Avg. annual precipitation: 54.6 inches
> Avg. hours of full-sun per day: 5 hours, 21 minutes
> Avg. daily max temperature: 82.1 degrees
> Population: 154,383
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29. Chattanooga, TN-GA
> Avg. annual precipitation: 54.7 inches
> Avg. hours of full-sun per day: 4 hours, 28 minutes
> Avg. daily max temperature: 67.4 degrees
> Population: 554,876
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28. Grants Pass, OR
> Avg. annual precipitation: 55.0 inches
> Avg. hours of full-sun per day: 4 hours, 44 minutes
> Avg. daily max temperature: 59.6 degrees
> Population: 86,352
27. Hot Springs, AR
> Avg. annual precipitation: 55.3 inches
> Avg. hours of full-sun per day: 4 hours, 33 minutes
> Avg. daily max temperature: 71.3 degrees
> Population: 98,658
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26. Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX
> Avg. annual precipitation: 55.7 inches
> Avg. hours of full-sun per day: 4 hours, 54 minutes
> Avg. daily max temperature: 77.4 degrees
> Population: 411,339
25. Jackson, MS
> Avg. annual precipitation: 55.9 inches
> Avg. hours of full-sun per day: 4 hours, 46 minutes
> Avg. daily max temperature: 74.4 degrees
> Population: 578,794
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24. Tallahassee, FL
> Avg. annual precipitation: 56.1 inches
> Avg. hours of full-sun per day: 4 hours, 59 minutes
> Avg. daily max temperature: 76.9 degrees
> Population: 385,473
23. Alexandria, LA
> Avg. annual precipitation: 57.3 inches
> Avg. hours of full-sun per day: 4 hours, 48 minutes
> Avg. daily max temperature: 76.9 degrees
> Population: 153,984
22. Hattiesburg, MS
> Avg. annual precipitation: 58.7 inches
> Avg. hours of full-sun per day: 4 hours, 49 minutes
> Avg. daily max temperature: 75.7 degrees
> Population: 146,530
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21. Lake Charles, LA
> Avg. annual precipitation: 59.7 inches
> Avg. hours of full-sun per day: 5 hours, 11 minutes
> Avg. daily max temperature: 76.7 degrees
> Population: 210,962
20. New Orleans-Metairie, LA
> Avg. annual precipitation: 59.9 inches
> Avg. hours of full-sun per day: 5 hours, 8 minutes
> Avg. daily max temperature: 76.7 degrees
> Population: 1.3 million
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19. Panama City, FL
> Avg. annual precipitation: 60.2 inches
> Avg. hours of full-sun per day: 4 hours, 59 minutes
> Avg. daily max temperature: 76.7 degrees
> Population: 202,236
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18. Houma-Thibodaux, LA
> Avg. annual precipitation: 60.7 inches
> Avg. hours of full-sun per day: 5 hours, 3 minutes
> Avg. daily max temperature: 77.2 degrees
> Population: 210,512
17. Corvallis, OR
> Avg. annual precipitation: 60.9 inches
> Avg. hours of full-sun per day: 4 hours, 7 minutes
> Avg. daily max temperature: 60.0 degrees
> Population: 90,951
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16. Lafayette, LA
> Avg. annual precipitation: 61.2 inches
> Avg. hours of full-sun per day: 5 hours, 1 minute
> Avg. daily max temperature: 76.9 degrees
> Population: 491,558
15. Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin, FL
> Avg. annual precipitation: 61.2 inches
> Avg. hours of full-sun per day: 4 hours, 54 minutes
> Avg. daily max temperature: 76.5 degrees
> Population: 271,346
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14. Mobile, AL
> Avg. annual precipitation: 61.2 inches
> Avg. hours of full-sun per day: 4 hours, 53 minutes
> Avg. daily max temperature: 76.0 degrees
> Population: 413,955
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13. Hammond, LA
> Avg. annual precipitation: 61.9 inches
> Avg. hours of full-sun per day: 4 hours, 54 minutes
> Avg. daily max temperature: 77.0 degrees
> Population: 132,497
12. Baton Rouge, LA
> Avg. annual precipitation: 62.0 inches
> Avg. hours of full-sun per day: 4 hours, 50 minutes
> Avg. daily max temperature: 77.2 degrees
> Population: 834,159
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11. Pensacola-Ferry Pass-Brent, FL
> Avg. annual precipitation: 62.1 inches
> Avg. hours of full-sun per day: 4 hours, 54 minutes
> Avg. daily max temperature: 75.3 degrees
> Population: 487,784
10. Daphne-Fairhope-Foley, AL
> Avg. annual precipitation: 62.4 inches
> Avg. hours of full-sun per day: 4 hours, 54 minutes
> Avg. daily max temperature: 75.4 degrees
> Population: 212,628
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9. Eugene, OR
> Avg. annual precipitation: 62.8 inches
> Avg. hours of full-sun per day: 4 hours, 19 minutes
> Avg. daily max temperature: 57.6 degrees
> Population: 374,748
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8. Gulfport-Biloxi-Pascagoula, MS
> Avg. annual precipitation: 63.2 inches
> Avg. hours of full-sun per day: 4 hours, 56 minutes
> Avg. daily max temperature: 76.3 degrees
> Population: 394,232
7. Salem, OR
> Avg. annual precipitation: 64.2 inches
> Avg. hours of full-sun per day: 4 hours, 5 minutes
> Avg. daily max temperature: 58.4 degrees
> Population: 424,982
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6. Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA
> Avg. annual precipitation: 68.0 inches
> Avg. hours of full-sun per day: 4 hours, 4 minutes
> Avg. daily max temperature: 56.4 degrees
> Population: 2.5 million
5. Albany, OR
> Avg. annual precipitation: 69.4 inches
> Avg. hours of full-sun per day: 4 hours, 11 minutes
> Avg. daily max temperature: 57.6 degrees
> Population: 125,047
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4. Bellingham, WA
> Avg. annual precipitation: 72.6 inches
> Avg. hours of full-sun per day: 3 hours, 49 minutes
> Avg. daily max temperature: 49.0 degrees
> Population: 221,404
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3. Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA
> Avg. annual precipitation: 73.9 inches
> Avg. hours of full-sun per day: 3 hours, 54 minutes
> Avg. daily max temperature: 52.8 degrees
> Population: 3.9 million
2. Longview, WA
> Avg. annual precipitation: 75.0 inches
> Avg. hours of full-sun per day: 3 hours, 48 minutes
> Avg. daily max temperature: 56.6 degrees
> Population: 106,910
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1. Mount Vernon-Anacortes, WA
> Avg. annual precipitation: 80.2 inches
> Avg. hours of full-sun per day: 3 hours, 49 minutes
> Avg. daily max temperature: 50.1 degrees
> Population: 125,619
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